System of liquid distribution.



No. 650,064. Patented May 22, [9 00,

A. msou.

SYSTEM OF LIQUID DISTRIBUTION.

(A licaci n med Nov. 14, 1898.) I (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

@'i z I Z3 a? f I k I g I )1 w I I- 25 "1 26 I 1 fl figllz 13 L 4 6% F WITNESSES: INVIEIITOR ATTORNEY .THE norms Pzrzns co.. womumau WASKINGTON a c No. 650,064. Patented may 22, I900. A. msou.

SYSTEM OF LIIIUID DISTRIBUTION.

(Applictibn filed Nov. 14, 1898.) (N0 Modei.) T 2 Sheets-"sheaf 2 I} WITNESSES: UINVENTOR. I

% z; I ATTORNEY mc nomus Pz'rzas cc. murouniou wrsum uron, 0x:

UNITED STATES PATENT GFFIC V ARTHUR KITso or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNoE TO THE KITSON I-IYDROCARBON HEATING AND INOANDESOENT LIGHTING ooM- PANY, OF sAME PLACE AND CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA.

SYSTEM OF LIQUID DISTRIBUTION.

PECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 650,064, dated May 22, 1900.

Application filed November 14, 1898. Serial No. 696,465. (No model.)

To all whom it 11mg concern: Be it known that I, ARTHUR KITSON, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia,

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, have in- Ven ted certain new and useful Improvements in Systems of Liquid Distribution, (Case 8,) I

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to systems for distrib- [O uting liquids under pressure, and is more specifically designed to produce a safe and convenient system for distributing oil under pressure to a large number of lamps, stoves, or other devices consuming oil.

The objects to be attained in a successful system consist, first, of an even pressure throughout a considerable period of time, clearing of the pipes of oil when the system is not in operation, and an automatic checking of the flow in case of a leak at any point in the system. My invention accomplishes all these desired results, and the preferred form of apparatus embodying said invention is illustrated in the accompanying two sheets 2 5 of drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View of a portion of a buildingin section, showing my system installed. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail of the automatic differential valve, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the liquid and air tanks and their connections with certain modifications.

Throughout the drawings like referencefigures refer to like parts.

Fig. 1 of the drawings indicatesabuilding 1, in which are installed one or more lamps 2 2, 850. These lampsare fed by branch oilpipes 3 3, &c., in each of which is a valve l4: within reach of a person standing on the floor. 0 The main oil-pipe 5 supplies all these branches from the liquid-tank 6. This main connects with the lower portion of the liquid-tank, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The air-tank 7 is preferably of relatively-greater capacity than the liquid-tank, although the system will be operative if the said'air-tank is of only equal capacity with the liquid-tank or even somewhat less; but the best results are obtained when the air-tank is at least equal to and preferably in excess of the capacity of the liquid-tank. Compressed air or other fluid under pressure is confined in the so-called air-tank, preferably by means of the air-' pump 8.

The gage 9 indicates the pressure in the airtank, and the pressure-reducing valve 11 reduces the pressure of the air delivered to the liquid-tank to a predetermined standard pressure, usually fifty pounds.

12 is the pipe connection from the air-tank to the upper part of the liquid-tank, and 13 is a hand-operated valve therein.

10 is an escape-valve connected to the upper portion of the liquid-tank. This escapevalve can be opened or closed by hand.

The gage-glass 14 shows the height of the oil remaining in the liquid-tank,and the checkvalve 15 prevents the air in the air-tank from leaking back to the pump through the hose 16. In the main pipe 5 is placed an auto matic differential valve 17, which may be of any desired construction, which will produce an automatic closing of the valve when the pressure in the consuming devices or in the branch pipes connecting thereto, or in any one of them, falls to a predetermined extent below the standard fifty-pounds pressure of the liquid-tank. I have illustrated one form of such differential valve in Fig. 2. The valve-plunger 18 may be seated by pressure the spindle 20, passing through the spider 23, cast integrally with the valve-chamber. The nut 22 prevents the valve falling beyond a graduated distance below its seat, and it is normally held at this distance from its seat by the spring 21, surrounding the spindle. The degree of compression of this spring may be varied by inserting washers 24 under one end of it or by other means. Around this differential valve I preferably arrange a bypass 25, controlled by hand-operated valve 26.

The mode of operation of my invention is as follows: The liquid-tank being filled with oil or other liquid to be distributed under a pressure of, say, fifty pounds to the square inch,- the air-tank is pumped full of air or other fluid under pressure to a gage-pressure of more than in a tapering valve-seat 19, being guided by fiftypounds, the relative pressures being def termined'by therelative capacities .of the two tanks. If the air and the liquid tanks are of equal capacity, then the initial charge of the air-tank should be at a one-hundred-pounds pressure. If the capacity of the air-tank is about four times that of the liquidtank,as

indicatedin l of the drawings, 1 then an initial pressure of sixty-two and a half pounds willsuflice. When the lamps are tobe started into operation, the valve 13 is opened and the. air passes through the pressurereducing valve 11 to the liquid-tank, creating a pres: sure of fifty pounds to the square inch therein.

On opening-the valve 26 in theby-pass 25 the oil will be forced out through'the main and the various branches up to the lamps or other consuming devices2 2. The whole system of piping being thus filled, the valve 26 isclosed" and the system continues'to operate,

valve 10 opened. This takes all pressure the liquid in thejreservoir-tank, ,andthe oil standing in the main and in, the various branches therefrom siphons back into the liquid-tank, thus rendering the system a drypipe system when not in operation, 7,

a verieussh n s o d'beimed n he tails: of my inventionwithoutdeparting from f the spirit anjd'scope fthereoffso long as the relative arrangement of the parts shown in the drawings and theprinciple of operation set forth-in the specification are preserved.

Other forms of tanks and means of securing the desired pressure may be substituted,

and-other forms of difierential'valves might be used, &c.; but all these modifications I consider within the scope of my invention.

In the modifieationshown in Fig. 3the airtank and thefluid-tank are of thesame capacity. The pressurefreducing val-veil is of automaticallysupplying oil to the consuming devices. If one of the lamps should melt downer one of the supply-pipes becomeinjured, sothat a considerable leak would 00- cur,.the pressure in the main behind the automatic ditterential valve 17 would eventuallybe lowered considerably,andthis dif ferenceof pressures of the two sides of the valve plunger- 18 would when it equalled the predetermined amount overpower the spring 21 and lforce the valve into itsseat, thus automatically closing oft the supply of ,oil'and preventing the loss of any considerable amount by leakage and also preventingfthe danger of fireand destructive action-bythe oil on go'odsand furniture. The difierential valve will automatically open again Fthe moment the pressures are equal ized on its two sides or .the moment thepressuresapproach within. the predetermined-difi' erene e, solthatit the valve is set to operate at-aldi'fierence of twenty-pounds pressure and. closesasabove described then upon .the shutting ofi .of the valve which controls the branch inwhich the leak is occurring andth'e restoration of equilibrium by opening the by.- Pass'Zdthe-diflierential valve 17 will immediatelyopen and the system will resume its normal operation of supplying oil to. the undamaged branches. The pressure in theairtank'willjfall-as the fluid-tank is gradually emptiedj-but as itwill never'fallbelow the normal-offiftypounds to be maintained in theliquidtank the pressure in said tank and olrthe oil throughout the system will be maintained equally and even until the lastdrop of OllllS expelled. When the lamps are shut omithevalve 13 is closed and theescapethe well-knowntypqas shown in sectional view. I also showin this figure a-filter'27 in the main supply-pipe which maybe of any fibrous material and serves the purpose not only of purifying the oil of any floating particles of solid matter, but also equalizes the flow. and tends to prevent the lamps from flickering.

Having therefore described my invention,

what I claim as-new, and desire Letters Patent, isg 1. In a system for the distributionofliqto protect by 'uid under pressure, the combinationof the liquid-tank, the mainleadingitherefrom, one or. more liquid consuming devices supplied j from said main, and a diflferential valve insaid 3 main, set to be closed automatically by apredetermined difference between the pressures in theliquidfreserve tank and intheconsumingdevices, together with a valve-controlled by-pass around said difiere'ntial valve, substantially as described.

.2. In a system for the distribution of-liquidsunder-pressure, the combination of the liquid-supply reservoir, the supplymain, the automatic valve in said main which closes in the direction of outflow through said main,

and the adjustable spring whichnormally holds said valve open, togetherwith the by- ;pass around said automatic valve, and'the hand-operated valve-\vhichcontrols said bypass,-substantially as described.

Signed by me at Nev-"York city, New York,

this'271h day of October, 1898.

' ARTHUR KITSON.

Witnesses:

LILIAN FOSTER,

A. PARKER SMITH. 

